Nutritional Status and Daytime Pattern of Protein Intake on Match, Post-Match, Rest and Training Days in Senior Professional and Youth Elite Soccer Players

Abstract

The nutritional status of elite soccer players across match, post-match, training and rest days has not been defined. Recent evidence suggests the pattern of dietary protein intake impacts the daytime turnover of muscle proteins and, as such, influences muscle recovery. We assessed the nutritional status and daytime pattern of protein intake in senior professional and elite youth soccer players and compared findings against published recommendations. Fourteen senior professional (SP) and fifteen youth elite (YP) soccer players from the Dutch premier division completed nutritional assessments using a 24-h web-based recall method. Recall days consisted of a match, post-match, rest and training day. Daily energy intake over the 4-day period was similar between SP (2988±583 kcal/day) and YP (2938±465 kcal/day; p=0.800). Carbohydrate intake over the combined 4-day period was lower in SP (4.7±0.

Energy Intake and Expenditure of Professional Soccer Players of the English Premier League: Evidence of Carbohydrate Periodization

“…Interestingly, absolute and relative daily protein intakes were higher (205 ± 30 g) than that reported two decades ago in British professional players (108 ± 26 g), whereas both CHO and fat intake were relatively similar (Maughan, 1997). Our observed daily protein intakes also agree well with those reported recently (150-200 g) in adult professional players from the Dutch league (Bettonviel et al, 2016). Such differences between eras are potentially driven by the increased scientific research and resulting athlete (and coach) awareness of the role of protein in facilitating training adaptations and recovery from both aerobic and strength training (Moore et al, 2014;McNaughton et al, 2016).…”

“…For example, both daily absolute energy and relative CHO was greater on match days (3789 ± 532 kcal and 6.4 ± 2.2 g·kg -1 , respectively) compared with training days (2948 ± 347 kcal and 4.2 ± 1.4 g·kg -1 , respectively). Such differences in daily EI also agrees with recent observations from adult professional players of the Dutch league (Bettonviel et al, 2016) where subtle differences were observed between match days, training days and rest days (3343 ± 909, 3216 ± 834 and 2662 ± 680 kcal, respectively). It is also noteworthy that we observed greater energy intake on day 7 (before another match undertaken on day 8) versus day 4 (before match day 2).…”

Dietary habits within health and education professionals

“…sprovedena kod zdravstvenih radnika u Meksiku, Južnoj Africi i Kini i profesionalnih sportista, fudbalera u Holandiji, tenisera u Francuskoj i odbojkaša i košarkaša u Crnoj Gori. [5][6][7][8][9][10] U pomenutom istraživanju sprovedenom u Baru uključena je mlada, odrasla populacija oba pola. Utvrđene su značajne razlike između sportista i osoba koje nisu sportisti u pogledu uhranjenosti, konzumiranja doručka i pijenja vode.…”

Nutrition for Soccer

“…So, adequate muscle glycogen stores provide a significant protein-sparing effect during soccer matches and hard workouts. Some studies highlight the inadequacy of carbohydrate intake in professional soccer players (2,8) what can elicit a larger incidence on protein metabolism to support energy demands. There are three fatty acids which are essential for the body's survival.…”